When you think of user-centered design, you might think of website and software design that largely focuses on the needs of your end user. As an institution of higher learning, you might be thinking specifically about your potential students and their parents, your current students, staff, and faculty.
This is the correct approach to building a product. But, when you think about organizing the project itself, the users you need to respond are internal — not external. You need to design a process that will gather input and feedback from your copywriters and editors, subject matter experts, stakeholders, and sponsors.
I’m a former project manager and recovering developer, and now that I read and respond to RFPs for a living, I have a pretty good sense of what your partners are looking for and what you need to know from them in order to help you select a great fit for your project. We will take a look at the overall project timeline from finding the best partners to managing your stakeholders as well as share organizational principles for your digital projects. How to engage stakeholders at key moments: prior to the engagement, at the outset, and throughout the lifecycle of the project.